Remote Management of Virtual Machines Hosted in a Private Network

1. A method, comprising: communicating at least one virtual machine management command to a client application within a private network, wherein the client application is configured with a communication channel permitting communication with machines external to the private network; and executing the at least one virtual machine management command in the virtual machine host; wherein the at least one virtual machine management command is generated in a server application that resides in a machine remote from the private network.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the client application provides an entry point into the private network.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising executing the client application from the virtual machine host.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising redirecting the at least one virtual machine management command from the client application to a virtual machine host of the private network.

5. The method according to claim 1 comprising configuring the client application to provide a communication channel between the server application and the client application.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising communicating the at least one management command from the server application to the client application in a vendor independent configuration.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the client application instantiates the at least one management command into a vendor specific virtual machine host format.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising providing the server application as a web application.

9. A system, comprising: a virtual machine host, including a processor and memory, that resides within a private network; a client application that resides on a machine within the private network; and wherein the client application receives one or more management commands, via a communication channel from a machine external to the private network, wherein the communication channel permits communication between the client application that resides on the machine within the private network and the machine external to the private network; wherein the client application supports a pre-configured virtual machine that provides a minimum execution environment.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the client application is executed on a machine within the private network.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the client application is executed on the virtual machine host.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the communication channel comprises a firewall.

13. The system according to claim 9 comprising a server application that resides on the machine external to the private network, wherein the server application is configured to communicate the one or more management commands to the client application in a vendor independent format.

14. The system according to claim 12 wherein the client application is configured to instantiate the one or more management commands into a vendor specific definition.

15. The system according to claim 13 wherein the server application is configured to download one or more client side management utilities.

16. The system according to claim 9 a redirection channel that redirects the one or more management commands from the client application to the virtual machine host.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for execution by a processor, that, when executed, cause a processor to: receive one or more virtual machine management commands in a host independent format through an interface on a remote machine; and communicate the one or more virtual machine management commands in a host independent format to a client application within a private network, wherein the client application that receives the one or more virtual machine management commands is executed.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 17 comprising instructions that cause the processor to redirect the one or more virtual machine management commands to a virtual machine host, wherein the client application is configured with a communication channel that permits communication with machines external to the private network.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 18 wherein the client application is configured to perform at least one of: determine a virtual machine host from the one or more virtual machine management commands; and convert the one or more virtual machine management commands into a host dependent format.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 18 comprising instructions that cause the virtual machine host to execute the one or more virtual machine management commands.